Improvement in car-couplings



A. SCHDRG &. B. VAN VALKENBURGH.

Car- CnupHngs. N0.143,0Q9. PatentedSeptember23,1873.

Witnmm: gummy: f% f Wf W W LTNITED firA'rns PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST SGHORG AND BENJAMIN VAN VALKENBURGH, OF COBLESKILL,

' NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Batent No. 143,099, dated September 23, 1873; application filed February 15, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, AUGUST SGHORG and BENJAMIN VAN VALKENBURGH, or (Jobleskill, in the county of Schoharie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a specification:

The invention consists in the improvement of car-couplings, as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a front view, and Fig. 2 a vertical section of Fig. 1 taken on theline 00 00.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the car-truck. B is the drawhead. (l is a band which slides on and closes the draw-head. D is a forked lever by which the band 0 is operated. E is the couplinglink. The draw-head is made in two parts, F and G. The part F is attached rigidly to the truck by means of clips or bolts. The part G is hinged to F at the point H, and, being the lower part, it drops down by its own gravity when unsupported; I is the mouth and J the opening of the draw-head. The parts F and G are each recessed out to form the mouth and opening of the draw-head. The two parts are held firmly together by the band 6 when the latter is slipped forward, as seen in Fig. 2. At the top and bottom of the band is a loop, K, which the forks L L of the lever D enter, as seen in Fig. 1. M is the fulcrum of the lever in the hanger N in front of the car-truck.

The lever is held in position by means of the forked iron 0 attached to the timber of the truck. The handle end of the lever is bent upward, as seen in Fig. 1, to make it convenient tohandle as well as to fasten. When the handle end of the lever is thrown up to the truck the band 0 is thrown outward,

so as to keep the draw-head closed and the coupling-link confined, as represented in the drawing. In this position the lever is confined by a pin, P, in the forked iron 0. When the lever is thrown outward, the band is thrown back, which allows the part G of the draw-head to drop down ready to receive the link of the opposite coupling. The coupling and uncoupling are performed by manipulating the lever D, and, as this is done without going between the cars, the lives and limbs of :railroad'employs are not endangered. The parts of the coupling are very simple, easily made, and not liable to get out of order. k

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The sliding band 0 applied about a drawhead, having one hinged and falling jaw, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A forked lever, D LL, applied to the loops K K of sliding band B, as and for the purpose specified.

AUGUST SC HORG. BENJAMIN VAN VALKENBURGH.

Witnesses:

AARON VAN VALKENBURGH, JOHN M. TowNsENn. 

